GIO happy with results of protest visit to CNNGo

CNNGo has told the government that an article linking Taipei with “gluttony” was not meant to be derogatory, Government Information Office (GIO) Minister Philip Yang (楊永明) said yesterday.

CNNGo, CNN’s culture and travel Web site, published an article on April 20 that used Christianity’s seven deadly sins to describe the best Asian city to commit each sin, with Taipei named as the place to go to “be” gluttonous, Seoul for people who wanted to be slothful and Pyongyang for those wanting to be wrathful.

GIO officials in Hong Kong recently met with Andrew Demaria, CNNGo’s editor-in-chief to discuss the story, the GIO said yesterday.

The officials were told that the article did not mean to criticize people in Taiwan for being gluttonous, but to praise Taiwan’s gourmet cuisine.

Demaria said the article aimed to say that gourmet cuisine was available in Taipei day or night and that people would eat whatever they wanted, the GIO said in a statement said.

CNNGo regretted the article was read in a negative way and that readers should have understood it correctly if they read had it carefully, the statement said.

“After the visit, CNNGo posted a new article on its Web site on May 20 that introduced bubble milk tea and commended Taiwan for its tea culture,” Yang said.

CNNGo will send journalists to Taiwan to report on its cuisine and culture, Yang said.